The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of ClothesWebb, Wilfred Mark
History
The Heritage of Dress: Being Notes on the History and Evolution of Clothes
Webb, Wilfred Mark
Clothing and dress; Clothing and dress -- History
The almost overwhelming number of buttons which are worn by page-boys
must have been a source of wonder to many. They run from neck to waist
of a tight-fitting jacket in such a crowded line that the pages usually
go by the name of "Buttons." Occasionally we see the livery ornamented
by two other rows of buttons which are useless, and run from the
shoulder towards the waist (see Figure 114) in a way similar to that
described as being the case on the coats of His Majesty's postilions. On
looking at an old book[17] of fashions we find that a costume called the
"Dutch Skeleton Dress" was very fashionable for young boys in 1826 (see
Figure 115). In this we find that there were brass buttons arranged in
three rows, similar to those we have just described. It is difficult
even in the modern page-boy's dress to see the lower edge of his coat,
but in the case of the small boy of 1826 it was impossible, because his
trousers were buttoned on to the outside of it.
[Illustration: FIG. 114.--A modern page-boy's livery.]
[Illustration: FIG. 115.--The Dutch skeleton dress, fashionable for boys
in 1826.]
The name of the skeleton dress is interesting, because it points to the
buttons marking out the position of the breast bone, and it recalls
the story that the lacing on the breast of Hussars, which we have
interpreted as representing enlarged buttonholes, was intended to give
the appearance of ribs. This would be in keeping with the figure of a
skull that was worn by some of them on their head-dress. We may imagine
that in the page-boys, with the superabundance of buttons in one row,
that the other two series have migrated and joined with those which
originally fastened the coat.
On special occasions such as weddings and coronations, the nobility and
members of old families dress their servants in state liveries, and some
very interesting costumes appear for the time. For instance, at the
wedding of the Duke of Norfolk in 1877, some of the coachmen and footmen
appeared wearing on the shoulder of their livery a "manche" or large
hanging sleeve, which is familiar to students of heraldry and may be the
origin of the sign usually called the "Crooked Billet."
An interesting little survival is sometimes seen on livery collars.
It is a little patch of lace, and is an imitation of the knotched
buttonhole or laced hole which was commonly made on elaborate dresses.
We get a survival of a livery cap, which was worn by servants generally
in the middle of the eighteenth century, in the black cap worn by the
drum-major of the Foot Guards and the bands of the Household Cavalry. We
find that it is also adopted by huntsmen and postilions (see Figure
89), while jockey caps are of a similar shape.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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